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Chapter 13: The Stranger
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2024-05-30 23:01:13Related chapters
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 14: His Scent
The estate was bustling. The soft sounds of people conversing and working in the distance disrupted my walk to the chicken coops. Usually, the estate is tranquil. The only sounds are insects, livestock, and birds. This time of year, I listen to the long whistle mating calls of the quail. I walk on a cut path through the field to the coop and on occasion will startle a pair of quail from the grasses and delight in watching the way they waddle run to the next hiding spot. I hear the starlings chirps and whistles. Their feathers a stunningly black iridescent speckled with rainbow hued white and brown. During the heat of the summer their beaks are a stark yellow, long with a sharp point. When I have a moment to steal away, I love laying in the fields watching the large flocks of starlings make shapes in the sky. If I was lucky I would see the beautiful red bird. Legends say that the red bird is a messenger from the spirit world. To cross paths with one is a sign that lost loved o
Last Updated : 2024-05-31A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 15: The Dress
“Silk, satin, lace— oh yes! You MUST have lace, taffeta, chiffon, charmeuse, organza, tulle so much tulle! Oh we can do so much with what I’ve holed away all these years my girl!” Agatha gushed. We are tucked away in the corner of the sewing room with sketches strewn about the table and floor. It’s overwhelming. “Lace… ummmmm I—“ “Lace! Of course you will have lace! At least to cover your head for the temple ritual!” Agatha insisted. “I just want something simple. Not too complicated. Elegant and…” I was searching for a delicate way to tone down Agatha’s enthusiasm. “Oh you will be ELEGANT! Ravishing! Demure! You will be the talk of the moon ceremony. Nothing but the best for the Alpha’s daughter!” Agatha jubilantly decreed. Agatha has been at this estate as long as I remember. She served my father’s household before Osiris. She became a mother figure to me when he passed away. The next hour was filled with sketches of all sorts of dresses. Mermaid, trumpet, A-line,
Last Updated : 2024-05-31A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 16: The Dream
“Malakai planned to hold the children of each alpha family of the realm hostage in exchange for each pack swearing fealty to him and proclaiming the Kingdom of the Moon pack the King and overall Alpha of the realm.” My father explained. The fire popped in dramatic timing. I gasped. The idea of being taken from papa and mother shook me to my core. “Th-that’s awful” I stammer barely above a whisper. “It was absolute panic. All the alphas awoke after the blood moon to discover their children had vanished. Each pack assembled hunting parties to search for the missing children. Malakai had taken the children into the deep cave system on the Kingdom of the Moon pack territory.” “Malakai then called a summit of all Alphas. It was held at the edge of our territory. Where the black woods meet the wheat fields at the northernmost tip.”My father had always warned against venturing too close to the black woods. The woods were so thick with trees and underbrush, it was shaded even on the most
Last Updated : 2024-06-01A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 17: After School
“Professor says we have to sign up for the Harvest Fair by the end of the week.” Dmitry explained. “We have to enter at least one contest in order to get our participation grade.”“What contests will you be entering?” I asked as I prepared the vegetables for supper. Dmitry would tell me about his school day each afternoon as I made dinner for the staff and the Alpha’s family. This was the best part of my day. “I think my best chance is in wood crafts. I've been whittling a barn owl. His wings are outstretched and talons ready to snatch an unsuspecting field mouse.” “I can’t wait to see it!”“I definitely want to enter the pie eating contest. I’m sure I won’t win but losing never tasted so good!” He patted his belly in a fit of giggles. “I heard this year the pies will be made of carrots!” I said solemnly as I poked the carrot I was peeling in his direction. “Ha. Ha. You’re joking. That’s not true!”“Oh, but it is!” I counter dramatically. “The crust of the pie will be beets and c
Last Updated : 2024-06-01A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 18: Harvest Fair Gown
“Come, let me see the dress on you,” Agatha coaxes. I had finished my needlecraft submission, traditional harvest dress. The Harvest Fair was a tradition older than the realm. It was a festival thanking the moon goddess for the harvest that sustains us. It was tradition to make offerings to the goddess, wear bright embroidered dresses, dance, play games, and feast. “I think I need help getting into this.” I grumbled. “Yes, the festival dresses are very form fitting.” Agatha sympathized. I had spent the last year embroidering the birds and wildflowers on the estate to appliqué them to my festival dress. I was saving what they looked like in my muscle memory, so even if I was far away after my moon ceremony I would still remember what they looked like. Agatha got me buttoned in. I stood looking in the mirror, not recognizing myself. “Ah!” Agatha gasped. “You’re so grown! If only your father were here to see the young lady you have blossomed into.” I smiled to stop the tears
Last Updated : 2024-06-02A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 19: A Gift
Mari pulled my hair into an elegant updo and accented it with two small stuffed ruby-throated hummingbirds. There is a male with a pearlescent green body, ruby throat, black chin, and white belly. He is perched as if he is dancing in flight in my hair. The second is a female posed as if the two are engaged in a mating dance, perched above observing the males display. She is a more intense green bird with a stark white belly and what looked like kohl lining her eyes. My make up was done lightly. A glossy pink lip, a coquettish cat eye, and my soft sun kissed skin. A simple, gold silk cord, tied neatly around my neck. It was a bummer to have to wear such a fancy dress the the day of the fair. I had to limit my fun to make sure everything stayed in its place and the gown stayed pristine. “Let’s go. I know Dmitry ran off to the fair over an hour ago. I want to see his wood craft entry!” I protest. “Stay calm. Beauty requires patience.” Mari snapped. “The judge should be looking
Last Updated : 2024-06-02A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 20: A Dance
The fair was in full swing by the time we arrived. I made a beeline for the wood craft tent to view Dmitry’s owl. Everyone that resides within the pack territory attends the fair. Each class with their own purpose. The alpha family attended as the host of the fair. The Alpha and Luna are the leaders of the community and set the tone for the fair. They attend all religious ceremonies as the image for piety. They give the largest donation to clergy. They wear rich and refined clothes that all the aristocracy and nobility will try and imitate. The people will either love to love or love to hate them. They will always fear them. The aristocrats and nobility did so to show that they mingle amongst the people and are pious in their tribute to the goddess. They prove their piety through donations to the church. The reverend mother will visit the noble houses after the fair to bestow blessings. They flaunt their wealth by their clothes and success in the contests. Some contests being more
Last Updated : 2024-06-04A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 21: The Evening Primrose
I made my way towards the hall for the traditional dance. I could feel the vibrations from the drums pounding. The words of the songs floating above the drum beats praising the moon goddess and begging her for a love match mate. “What house?” A bored dance coordinator asked at the stage door. “Alpha Osiris.” I said with a flat tone. The coordinator handed me two silver bell anklets The bells are worn to add to the drum rhythm as you dance. “Turn around so that I can pin this number to your back.”“Be careful of my gown please, it’s to be judged at the feast this evening.” “You will dance to the Full Moon dance in group three.”It has been so long since I danced to this song. The drum beats steadily build to a crescendo and the singers declare devotion to the moon goddess. Your hands and arms telling a story as you spin and stomp to emphasize the beat. We make our way to the hall to perform for the gathered crowd. The crowd is mainly the aristocracy gathered at tables drinking win
Last Updated : 2024-06-04
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A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 154: A Message
I hear a soft rapping at my door. I tear myself from the sheets like a petulant child, stomping towards the doorway. The warmth of my bed calling to me. I don’t think I’m ready to be shoved into a bath and corseted into a gown. I feel as if I have not even shut my eyes, let alone gotten any rest. “I’m coming.” I say, in a decidedly grumpy voice. I put the most sincerest grumpy tired face expression that I can muster, and open the door. “What?” The hallway is empty. I cannot even hear distant footsteps of maids and servants performing their daily task list. A list that starts the moment their eyes open and does not end again until they close. The realization washes over me with shame. I think back to the endless hours, scrubbing dishes, scrubbing floors, standing over hot stoves. I looked to my arms to see all the faint scars I have accumulated over my years. Each one with their own story. The time I sliced my hand open or when I burnt myself on the edge of a pot because I wasn’t t
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 153: The Yoke
Your highness. I suppose it is better than being a slave, though your name is surrendered just the same. Instead of no one caring to know your name they are forbidden to speak it, it’s traded in for formal titles. This elevation does not bring freedom, rather luxurious chains, forced to follow antiquated traditions. It is not the same as being an actual slave though. To compare it as such is a denigration. A lie. One cannot be both slave and master, though it seems even masters have masters to bow to. The breakfast I consumed without having to perform any labor only underscores my place in the pecking order, now far above the one I used to enjoy. I struggle to enjoy my new position when Dmitry has been left behind. I should rest though. I am to be a bride today. The wedding is less about me and more about the future of the monarchy. The continuation of Malakai’s line through history. I am only the womb used to usher in this future greatness. The wedding itself is largely performat
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 152: Meal
“Breakfast is already in your chambers.” Phoebe reassures, her delicate hand still clasping mine. “Thank you, Priestess Phoebe. I appreciate your consideration.” We fall into a comfortable silence. The floors of the temple are cold on my naked feet, my soles made soft and delicate by the last month of wearing shoes. I am only steps away from being a Princess, living a fairytale and touring the Kingdom. I cannot help but feel tragedy lurking in the shadows. A beast so insidious, patiently waiting to strike at your most triumphant moment. The climb up the social ladder feels like a climb that ends with me jumping to my death. I breathe deeply and allow the sound of our swishing robes lull me into calmness. I am greeted by the smell of breakfast when the door to my room is opened. “Such a feast!” I squeal like an excited child. “Your eyes are bigger than your stomach.” Phoebe scolds. “Then join me, priestess. There is more than enough for us both.”“Thank you, m’lady.”The formalit
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 151: Unification
Ceres“Papa! Papa! I think I have something!” I squeak. My little body wiggling, unable to control the overwhelming excitement that has washed over me. My tiny childish hands reach for my father, precariously balancing in the small rowboat. “Shhh! Hush. You will scare away all the fish.” He says gently. His heavy hands lovingly placed on my shoulders, calming me instantly. “You have plenty of time to make waves in your life, you need not do it when we are trying to fish.” He gently scolds. “Yes, papa.”“Now, let’s check that line. Reel it in gently but steady, then flick to set the hook.” He demonstrates the process on his own rod. I begin to reel it in, quietly squealing with glee, pulling it in as my father had shown me many times before. Springtime on the lake, learning to live off the land. “You must be able to provide for yourself.” That is what my father would say when I would complain about waking before the sun. Early morning on the lake is what heaven must be like. The w
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 150: Return to the King
Theia The air is crisp, the dew covers the ground and little droplets stick to my fur like tiny little pearls. Running in this form is so freeing. I wish it could always be just like this. “Catch me if you can!” I call as I weave through the branches and mossy stones. I do not even see his form, a shadow in the darkness, when he pounces on me and we roll down a small embankment. “Gotcha!” He gleefully remarks. The heat from his body presses against mine and I do not struggle or squirm under him. I am content to be here in his snare. “I didn’t even see you!” “Did you say that you owe me a wish? Do I now have two?” “No! I made no promise of another wish granted. I do owe you one though, so choose wisely.” He looks deeply into my eyes. “Yes. I will have to be thoughtful in what I choose.” I could get lost in his golden orbs. The fire in his stare. His darkness to my light. “We should go. The sun is already threatening to break the horizon. Dawn is here, it is o
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 149: An Agreement
Theia “The sun will rise soon.” I murmur. I stretch my legs out lazily. “We can speak of magic some other time.”“Some other time.” Erebus parrots back. His voice slow and lazy, as if considering the next possible occasion. “You are not lying if we agree to keep what has happened between us.” I say, breaking the silence between us. “That is quite literally called lying by omission.” “No, it’s keeping something sacred between us.”“You can dress a sow in silk gown, but that will not make her a Queen. Just because you call it something else doesn’t make it something else.”“Two things can be true.” “Yes, I suppose. That doesn’t mean it sits right with me.”“Oracles are not the Goddess. There is no guarantee that my mark will even look as the book tells it.”“Your optimism knows no bounds.” He quips sarcastically. “We pledged ourselves to one another. This bond is above all others. Period.” I growl, his insistence on calling me out is getting under my skin. No one wants an honest a
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 148: Warning
CeresDarkness can swallow you whole. The void of nothingness. I cannot even see Theia or Asteria anymore. Their thoughts are shielded from me, yet I can feel the veil thinning. I can feel my resurgence, my resurrection into my physical form. It is coming, I can feel the electricity in the air. “Ceres!”A voice calls to me from the abyss of nothingness surrounding me. I do not recognize the call. It is not Asteria or Theia’s voice calling. No one else should be here. “Come my child, come to my voice.”I have read enough fairytales to be suspicious of mystery voices calling from the dark. Their honeyed calls disguise their horrific intentions. Harpies calling from the cliffs, lulling you to your death. Do such creatures lurk in this place, this in between space, where I have no control? I am just a battered ship being tossed around the sea, only to steer myself into a rocky grave, calling to me so sweetly from beyond my vision. I will not blindly go towards the faceless voice in the
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 147: Pledge
Theia“There is no affection in power. Power consumes all and no price is too high to pay to keep it. Edward may believe that his Grandfather’s love for him is unconditional, but I am not so naive.” Erebus growls. “Any threat to the King’s power will be eliminated. Period.”The truth weighs heavy. Silence settles within the cave. “Will the Immaculate Mother reveal the truth to the King?” I ask after a long bout of silence. “You said it yourself. Information you do not know, but want; is valuable.”“I have not read the myths of this prophecy. The Oracle Chronicle of the First King. I believe that is what the Immaculate Mother called it. Have you or Edward studied this?” “Edward is aware of all the sacred texts of the Kingdom. He has spent his entire life preparing to be King.”“What will he do when he discovers that I am the defender of the faith? Destined to fight in a battle and be the savior of the Kingdom? Will he see that as treason and address accordingly?”“I would like to sa
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 146: Mercy
Asteria “Your majesty, I beg your forgiveness and show of mercy!” The man splayed on the marble floor before us is dressed in tattered rags. His pants are cinched tightly with a belt made of woven fibers tattered with filth and age. His shirt is worn thin where the fabric rests upon his jagged bones, patches along the sleeves and shoulders create a haphazard mishmash of colors and textures with no discernible pattern. I stand a few steps above him, Prince Aares on a throne at the top of the stairs of the pedestal behind me. He must always be above, both figuratively and literally. I am simply a silent statuette, an observer of the tragic comedy before me, an ornament placed before the Prince, his child bride blooming in front of the court in realtime. My unflinching gaze witnessing the violence and cruelty. There was never any mercy to be found here. “Is it true that you hunted a stag in the woods?” Prince Aares questions. I already know the outcome of this. There is nothing sp
